The Russian's Furious Fiancee Page 0,17
hasty.” He stepped closer to her and watched as her breathing increased and her heart rate sped up. He even liked the fact that her nipples were peaked for him, although he doubted she even realized that her body was reacting like this for him. “Only a few days ago, you were speaking very passionately about the people who use the recreation center.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement and relief. Could he possibly be giving in? Had she convinced him at lunch earlier in the week that the center was a valuable resource? “You’ll give up that site and move your blasted building if I just spend two boring weeks with you?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Not quite, but I appreciate the fact that you think big.”
She sighed and turned away, blowing a lock of brown hair out of her eyes. “Okay, so what do you think might be more enticing?”
“Besides my wonderful company?”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Get real.”
He smiled. “I must be a glutton for punishment. My offer is that I’ll make a substantial donation to the shelter which will help some of the programs to shift their efforts and help the residents ease through the impact of the move to another location.”
She thought about it for a moment, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at him. “How substantial?”
He watched her carefully, considering what she might consider substantial. “Name your price.”
She stiffened slightly and immediately shook her head. “No, that would make me feel like a prostitute.”
“And me naming a sum would be different?” He wasn’t sure he grasped the difference.
“Yes. It’s probably semantics, but it’s a psychological difference.”
He wasn’t going to argue with that kind of logic. Especially when she looked so adorable as she blushed along those beautiful, porcelain cheeks. “Fine. One hundred thousand dollars.”
“Five hundred thousand,” she countered, holding her breath to see if he’d take the amount.
He almost laughed at both the sum, and the telltale giveaways her body was showing him. Even she considered that amount to be high. She was biting her lower lip again and he desperately wanted to take her into his arms and soothe the area she was abusing. He hid his amusement as he countered, “Two hundred thousand and you’re on call whenever I want you and you’ll act as my hostess during the time period.”
She bit her lip and thought hard, tapping her free hand against her thigh as she frantically worked through a counter offer. “Three hundred thousand and you arrange for our meetings ahead of time with no hostessing responsibilities.”
He moved in closer, seeing that he was winning the negotiations. “Two fifty and you come when I want you, although I’ll try and arrange the meetings ahead of time but you won’t balk if I need you spur of the moment.” His eyes glanced down at her full, lower lip and her pretty, worried eyes. “And I get to try and convince you of my many sterling traits however I see fit.”
She knew there was a catch to his offer somehow but her mind couldn’t work quickly enough to figure it out. Plus a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar donation would go a long way towards financing several of the programs that needed help. Did she dare turn down the money? She knew there was nothing he could do or say that would change her mind about him in two weeks.
“Deal,” she said, but as soon as she said it, she regretted it. There was something in his eyes that made her want to take back the words.
“Deal,” he replied softly and took her hand, kissing the back of her wrist when she curled her fingers closed. “This starts now.” He pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his slacks and dialed a number. “Send two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Evlin Street Recreation Center, the normal procedures for donations,” he commanded to whoever had answered the phone, then snapped it shut and put it away.
Without another word, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her against him with one hand on her back while the other hand moved to the back of her head, holding her head in place while his mouth came down over hers. Eva wanted to stop it, but she was stunned by his touch, by the heat slicing through her system and making her quiver with reaction. Before she could even move to resist, the heat invading her bones was melting her muscles, muscles that